Kaiser awards $150,500 in grants to boost community health in Marin

A children's nutrition and exercise program, community gardens in San Rafael's Canal neighborhood and a local battered women's shelter are among the projects Kaiser Permanente will help fund this year with a $150,500 donation to 17 Marin nonprofits.

The grant awards, announced Monday, are part of the hospital's effort to fulfill its obligation under state law to benefit the community in which it operates.

"Kaiser Permanente's support for these important organizations is just one of the ways we are working to improve the health of our communities," said Pat Kendall, medical group administrator at Kaiser's San Rafael medical center.

SB 697, passed in 1995, requires not-for-profit hospitals to conduct community needs assessments every three years. The requirement was created to help ensure that not-for-profit hospitals were doing enough to justify the tax-exempt status that they enjoy. With the passage of the Affordable Care Act, completion of a community health needs assessment has been codified into the Internal Revenue Code and required to assure the nation's not-for-profit hospitals maintain their 501(c)(3) status.

Administrators at all three of Marin's hospitals — Kaiser's San Rafael medical center, Marin General Hospital and Novato Community Hospital — collaborate with county health officials on how best to meet the community's health needs. Marin's 2013 community needs assessment highlighted four lifestyle issues that underlie the leading causes of death in Marin: high-risk alcohol use, tobacco use, poor diet and lack of physical activity.

Kaiser's biggest grant this year, $20,000, will go to San Rafael's Canal Alliance to support a community garden and nutrition education program for residents there.

Tom Wilson, director of Canal Alliance, said some of the money will go toward maintenance of the 92 plots that make up the Canal Community Garden at the corner of Bellam Boulevard and Windward Way.

"Some of it will also be used for educational activities to help people learn about healthy eating and how to prepare some of the healthy foods that they are growing," Wilson said. "Some people, believe it or not, have never heard of kale."

The Marin YMCA is receiving a $10,000 grant to underwrite its participation in a nutrition and exercise program designed for students at Hamilton School in Novato. The YMCA will pick up kids who participate at the school and then return them to the school by bus.

"They'll be doing sports games, including basketball and soccer; they'll be doing group exercise programs, such as yoga and Zumba; and they'll be doing a little bit of strength training," said Lauren Clapperton, a senior director at the Marin YMCA.

The Marin YMCA is partnering on the project with LIFT-Levantate, a nonprofit group that promotes youth and family wellness in low-income communities. LIFT-Levantate staff will use its $10,000 award to provide the kids with nutritional education.

Tim Byrd, the Marin YMCA's executive director, said the program was designed for kids at Hamilton School because many of the teens who attend the school come from low-income households.

"People associate Hamilton with large homes but there is high-density housing behind the school," Byrd said. "Sixty-five percent of the students at Hamilton qualify for free or reduced price lunches."

The Kaiser grant will be sufficient to keep the program going through the first semester of this school year. Clapperton said the YMCA will be able to accommodate about 40 kids.

Also receiving a $10,000 grant from Kaiser is the Center for Domestic Peace, the emergency shelter operated by Marin Abused Women's Services.

"The shelter receives women who are in imminent danger or are being pursued by a batterer," said Marla Hedlund, a development manager for Marin Abused Women's Services. "Last year, we housed 65 women and 85 children. They can stay with us for up to a month depending on their needs."